Ava

"Ava?" I heard Brenda say my name by the door hesitantly. I looked up, smiling and motioning her to come in. She shifted nervously on her feet. Brenda seemed to be only a few years older than me, though I'd never really asked. 

"Do you need something?" I asked. It was the middle of the day and she usually didn't come to my office at this time of the hour. 

"I- I'm not feeling too well. I wanted to ask if I could leave." She looked down, not meeting my eyes.

"Of course. You can go, take care of yourself." I waited for her to look up, but she didn't.

She nodded her head, turned around to leave. "Thank you."

"Brenda?" I called out. She paused in her tracks, slowly turning her face to look at me. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." A failed attempt to smile. She didn't succeed in fooling me. "I just feel dizzy. I'll be alright tomorrow."

I didn't quite believe her, but I decided to let it go. I trusted Brenda and if she was lying to me, she had a good reason for it. She'd never given me a chance to doubt her motives, and I wouldn't accuse or suspect her of something without a single proof. 

I looked at my schedule for the next hour, and groaned softly, dropping my head down on the table. Another conference with the sales department. Fucking great. More egotistical men. Just what I needed.

I ignored the buzzing of my phone, grabbing my head in my hands. When it didn't stop ringing for the next two minutes, I cussed my luck. Jett. It had to be him. No one was capable to annoy me that much. "I swear to God Jett I will murder you-"

"You have been in Vegas for two weeks now, young lady." I heard a woman's voice. Definitely not my brother. "Not once did you think of calling your dear old parents and ask how they are doing? No? This was the day I'd been fearing, James. She's too busy in her work to even remember us."

"Don't be dramatic, Carol." I heard my father mutter beside her. He must have grabbed the phone from her, because I heard his voice clearer. "Hi, munchkin. How are you? How is Vegas? Does Jett trouble you too much?"

"No, I trouble him." I snickered. "He's run off to Cali now. Vegas is good, different, but good."

"And work?"

I took some time to answer that. I didn't lie to my parents, but I also didn't want them to worry. "Work's nothing I can't handle."

"Ava," He said in his scolding voice. "Are they troubling you?"

"I told you I'll be alright, Dad. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to come here."

"Do you party?" I heard Mom ask.

"Not that much." 

"Well, you can't just not party is Vegas. Go have fun." I heard her grunt, followed by, "Give me the damn phone, James." Then I heard her voice clearer. "Your father misses you so much he won't even let go of the phone."

"I was talking to her!" I heard him mutter.

"Sure sure. How are you?" She asked me. "You know what to do to people who mess with you. You're the boss, kid. Show them, set example."

"That'll be misusing my power, Ma." I replied. "I can't just fire someone I don't like."

"Find a reason then." She said. "There's a difference between people who criticise you, and people who hate you. Criticism is alright. Hate is not. The first lesson being the boss should be getting rid of people who do not support you because of hatred. They are the ones who rebel at the end. You find a legitimate reason to get rid of them, and set example."

My mouth parted at that. 

"Business world is not always ethical, Ava. I spent a shorter time than you, but I learnt more. You can't always be lawful there, because others aren't. Call it unfair, but it's the truth."

"Thanks, Ma." I murmured. "I knew I could count on you."

"Take care, kid. Jett's not picking up my phone, ask him to call us if you talk to him."

I thought about my mother's words. She had taken over her father's company for a year, a difficult year. She knew things that went down in business. She knew how to prevent messes, and take care if they were created nonetheless. Her words made sense. I couldn't get rid of people who didn't support me, because that was more than half of the entire office, but I could set an example to know who actually was with me. 

All I had to do was find a damn reason.

And I got it the next day. A pretty shocking one to be talking about. I had already known something was up with Brenda, and when I reached my floor early in the morning I got the hint.

She was talking to Fred from the sales department. The head of the sales department. It didn't look like a normal conversation one had with employees. Her face was confronted into an expression of anger, and fear. Fred was talking, and she looked down a while later. His face looked dominating, controlling. He was ordering her. And I was going to find out what it was.

"Brenda?" I said to her when he left. "My office, now."

Her face paled and she looked like a deer caught in headlights. She followed me timidly, closing the door behind her, waiting till I kept my purse on the table, and turned around to look at her, resting my hands on the table behind me. "You have to speak, or you'll have to keep your mouth shut forever."

"T-talk about what?" She stuttered.

"We're both adults, Brenda. Let's not pretend either of us is dumb here. I respect you and I'm giving you a chance to explain. If you don't, I have other ways of finding out."

First tactic of getting information. Threaten. Blackmail. It always worked with most people. I didn't have any other source. I relied solely on her. But lying was not a sin if it was done for a greater good. And I was doing it to help her, as well as help the company.

"Please, I-I didn't do anything-"

"Fred did. And he asked you to shut up. And you're listening to him?" I raised an eyebrow. "This is what gives them more power over us. They order, we listen. This is why they treat women like shit. You have to stop listening to them-"

"He harassed me." She cut me off, blinking and looking down. "Yesterday, in the copy room. There's no proof, he deleted the camera footage. He threatened to fire me-"

"No one can fire people here except me. And you shouldn't look down. Keep your head high. You did nothing wrong. He is the one who should be ashamed. And he will be." She looked up in wonder. "What are we going to do now, Brenda?"

"You- you'll fire him?"

"No." I replied. "I can, but I won't. Because that will make him jobless, but that won't make him sorry. That won't question his integrity in front of everyone. He thinks he's the only one who can demand? Well, time to show him who's in charge, Brenda."

We walked to the HR department together, and she didn't look down. She looked determined now, and I was proud of that. Keith was in there, and when he saw us his face showed surprise. Brenda recounted the entire story, pointing out the video had been wiped out. At that I'd looked at Keith and he'd looked at me, and I had smiled internally. Stupid Fred. He didn't understand who he was up against.

"We have backup." Was all Keith said.

"Huh?" Brenda scrunched her eyebrows.

"Of the footage. We keep backups. I believe you, but we'll check for the sake of it and have proof."

"But- but I didn't know the HR kept backup." She said.

"We didn't." He looked at me. "But things have to change for development."

The HR department called a meeting of the entire office in the evening, requesting people to not leave because it was important. They'd done that on my request. Everyone should be present when Fred is fired. Set an example. Get people in their boundaries. Show them who's in charge.

"Fred Page," Keith called out, and Fred stepped forward, looking confused. When he looked at me, at Brenda beside me and saw my smirk, his face lost colour. "You have been accused of harassing Brenda Payne at her workplace-"

"That's a lie!" He blurted out. "She's lying. I never went to the copy room."

I bit back a snicker. Keith raised an eyebrow at him. "I never said anything about the copy room, Mr Page."

People looked shell shocked. Fred had a reputation, and they had never expected him to do something like this. They whispered among each other, and that's when I stepped up. "Shit like this won't be tolerated in my control. You are expected to be decent and respectful to each other, and there will certainly be consequences for your actions. Oh and Fred," I smiled at him, though it wasn't anything warming. "You're fired by the way, if that wasn't clear. Pack your things and leave, now. I don't want to see you tomorrow. Thank you, everyone. You may leave."

Brenda stood like a statue till everyone was gone. She looked nervous "I-I want to press charges."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you-"

"Yeah, I didn't want to at first. But then I thought he might do this with other women when he finds some other work. We don't deserve that. He doesn't deserve to walk around freely."

I smiled, nodding my head. Brenda was strong. Stronger than I'd expected her to be. She told me she'd coordinate with Keith and give me updates. I walked out like I should have the first day. Like a boss. I'd set an example, and now it was time to find out people who were up against me. That was my only thought as I drove back home. I parked my car, smiling when I saw the lights on.

Elias.

I'd been too busy with the Fred drama. We hadn't talked much since yesterday, and I was so delighted to see him that I didn't even give him opportunity to speak, launching myself in his arms and smashing my lips on his. He made a noise against my mouth, his palms cupping my ass to hold me up, walking back until I felt the counter below me. I clutched his shoulders, coiling my legs around his waist.

"I could get used to that." He murmured. "Te extrañé, amor."

"More." I jumped down the counter. "How was practice?"

"Impossible." He bent down to press a soft kiss to the side of my mouth, then stretched up. "Tiring, but fun."

"Of course, your hands say it all." I shook my head. His knuckles were red and raw. He hadn't even bothered bandaging them.

"I'm fine." He followed me into my room, where I opened a drawer and took out a first aid kit. "Ava, honestly, I'm fine. There's no need for that."

"Shut up and sit down."

"You're becoming a hell lot demanding these days." He said, but complied, giving me his hands. "I can't decide if it's sexy or annoying."

"Some things are better left not decided."

He shook his head as I wrapped a bandage around his bruised knuckles, wincing slightly when I put pressure. I winced in return, muttering an apology. 

"There, all done. What would you do without me, Elias?" I shook my head, chuckling.

"Hopefully, I'll never have to find it out."

-⍣-

There's office drama brewing just round the corner. Drama is my speciality, so get ready for some roller coasters on your way. And sex, of course. I had promised sex in the beginning, so it will come. Patience, lovelies.